Sen. Jeff Flake said Thursday that the Republican Party has become an “apologist” for President Trump.
“I think for one thing, just in terms of what this does for the country, we’ve got to have two strong, functioning parties, and right now our party has simply become — it seems — an apologist for certain actions of the president when we shouldn’t be,” Mr. Flake, Arizona Republican, said on MSNBC.
The senator said that with a tough midterm elections race coming up, this position will put Republicans at a disadvantage.
“Politically, it’s just not smart for us as Republicans,” he said.
Mr. Flake has made his disagreements with both the president and the party publicly known in a series of speeches he deliver from the Senate floor. He also announced that it’s because of the increasing polarization in Congress that he will not seek another term this year.
“There is a large swath of voters out there who simply aren’t comfortable with where Republicans are in terms of the president’s actions and his behavior,” Mr. Flake said.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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